Lowe buys stake in German sports sponsorship group

Published on June 26, 1996.

LONDON--The Lowe Group, the London-based network owned by Interpublic, announced on Tuesday that it's expanding its interest in sponsorship by taking a minority shareholding in the German sports sponsorship specialist Birkolz + Jedlicki.

The new partnership signals the Lowe Group's intention to further invest in sports sponsorship, the fastest growing sector within the communications industry.

The agency was established in 1971 by Manfred Birkholz, with Steven Jedlicki entering the company in 1980. Jossi Maria Hasenauer became the third director in 1984. Clients that have been with the agency for longer than 10 years include Adam Opel, General Motors Europe, Coca-Cola Germany, Hugo Boss and Deutsche Lufthansa.

The agency has organized more than 400 events. A major part of its business is concentrated on pan-European soccer sponsorship strategy for Opel/General Motors Europe, which includes Euro '96 and World Cup '98.